The Friday Brief by Girl Friday
The Friday Brief is a news podcast by Girl Friday, a boutique global affairs firm in Washington, D.C. We believe awareness impels action for a world of good.
The Friday Brief by Girl Friday
The Curious Case of the Epstein Files
We're back from the July Fourth holiday! In this episode, Phoenix Ricks covers the latest news about the gangs of Haiti, Russia's attacks on Ukraine, and Trump's evolving relationship with Vladimir Putin. Also on the list of things to cover: Jeffrey Epstein. Did you believe Pam Bondi would release his client list? Phoenix didn't, and she shares more about what she learned working in anti-human trafficking more than a decade ago. All in under 15 minutes!
Be sure to follow us on Instagram and TikTok @thefridaybrief and sign up for The Friday Brief newsletter on thefridaybrief.com.
Welcome to The Friday Brief, a news podcast by Girl Friday. I’m Phoenix Ricks, the CEO of Girl Friday and your host. This is your brief for July 10, 2025.
CNN reported that hundreds of Russian drones attacked Ukraine last night, resulting in at least two deaths and numerous injuries. CNN says that this attack is part of Moscow’s new approach to the war. The drones attacked from all directions, perhaps trying to bypass or confuse Ukraine’s air defense. Those drones were accompanied by eight ballistic missiles and six cruise missiles. Have U.S.-Ukraine relations improved since the disastrous Oval Office meeting, and will we be stepping in to help Ukraine more?
Well, if nothing, U.S.-Russia relations have deteriorated, at least publicly. The AP reported that Trump was frustrated with Pentagon officials for pausing air defense deliveries to Ukraine. And this week, CNN obtained audio from a 2024 donor event where Trump regaled guests with a tale about telling Vladimir Putin the U.S. would bomb Moscow - in more colorful terms than that - if Putin attacked Ukraine. While those guests may have left with a story to share, there’s little evidence that the conversation, if it occurred, made any difference in the war. NBC reported today that Trump has repeatedly expressed displeasure with Putin. Has that led to Trump’s public shift in tone regarding providing aid to Ukraine? Because now, we all know that Putin isn’t listening to him. That could impact other world leaders’ views on the U.S.’s ability to negotiate the end of this war or any other conflicts with Russia.
Yesterday, The Guardian reported that Caribbean leaders have pledged to address crime and violence in Haiti. When you hear about Haitian immigrants trying to flee to the U.S., please remember that they are escaping from a highly volatile situation, particularly in the capital. While the violence in Haiti today is presented as gang violence, I think of it more like coordinated paramilitary violence. When we hear the word “gangs” in the United States, so many of us think of violent, chaotic groups that commit serious crimes, but can still be tackled and minimized by local law enforcement. That’s not what’s happening in Haiti. NPR reported that nearly 90% of the capital is currently run by gangs, and other nations, like Kenya, have had to intervene. The leader of one of the most ferocious federations of gangs is a former police officer who calls himself Barbeque. As an officer, he served in a controversial anti-gang unit that was accused of murdering protesters. If you ask him, he’s now on a Robin Hood-style mission for equity in Haiti. But NPR reported in May that if you look around him and his bandits, you’ll find horrific reports of brutal assaults on women, extortion of the poor, corpses, and arson.
The latest arson victim is a gorgeous hotel from the late 1800s called Hotel Olfosson. The building has lived many lives; it was once a presidential palace and then a military hospital. It has been a cultural icon in Haiti for generations, and famous guests have included artists, musicians, and former First Lady Jackie Kennedy. It has weathered storms, including previous violent uprisings. But this week, NPR reported that it has been reduced to little more than ashes.
As you can imagine, this situation is unbearable, especially for kids. On their page about Haiti, Save the Children says, “More than one million children are living in areas under the influence of armed groups.” And, they have alarming statistics about crimes against women and children. “Cases of kidnappings and sexual violence are also widespread and rising at alarming rates. In the first six months of 2024, close to 4,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported, 94% by women and children. The true figure is likely to be much higher.” If you want to help vulnerable children in Haiti, I recommend supporting Save the Children. Their website says they are "working around the clock to support critical needs of children, including safe access to health, nutrition, education, and protection.”
Now turning to the United States. I know many American voters were eager to learn more about the contents of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Make America Great Again election campaign had teased the release of these files, and supporters seemed enthusiastic about the potential evidence, often asserting that it would uncover some kind of cabal of rogue elites involved in human trafficking. Well, that dream for them came crashing down this week when Pam Bondi let the world know there is no Epstein client list. At least, not one we’re going to see. Her choice of word salads has been hotly debated, and the jail video that was released has been scrutinized to the point where people and the media have noted a missing minute. As CNN said, you may recall that back in February, Bondi discussed the release of the Epstein Files, and she gave a group of random influencers the day of their lives at the White House. They paraded around the White House with cheap white binders of so-called evidence. We later learned that the files in those binders were public information.
If this is a case you followed, you’ve probably heard all of this before. This is my only addition - my personal experiences in this field. More than a decade ago, I worked and interned in the anti-trafficking field. At the time, it was a hot policy topic within human rights in Washington, DC. My first anti-trafficking role was with an organization designed to prevent child trafficking. It sadly no longer exists because the founder passed away. We worked to create policies that would help airlines identify and prevent trafficking, even in flight. We worked with diplomats from other nations, members of Congress, and law enforcement agencies at the local and federal levels. Here’s what I learned during those years, and it's why I do not currently work in anti-trafficking: globally, human trafficking can only occur at scale with the assistance of the law. You can write the best prevention policies and implement the toughest sentences for convicted traffickers. You can do all of that, but human trafficking will still happen at scale if there are people within our legal, political, and law enforcement apparatus who are engaged in the crimes or protecting criminals.
Here are just two examples. There’s a phenomenal 2024 article by The Washington Post called “How The Post investigated police officers accused of sexually abusing kids.” The article covers cases of former police officers who resigned or were fired after being accused of human trafficking and abuse. In case you think wrongdoing ended by the time the article was published, sadly, that is not the case. The Miami Herald published an article in May of this year about a former Washington, DC cop who was identified by a 15-year-old girl he victimized. This man is accused of trafficking teenage girls from Maryland, Florida, and North Carolina. But wait, those aren’t his only crimes. The reason he’s a former DC police officer right now is because in 2014, he “pleaded guilty in a separate case involving sex trafficking minors.”
Anti-trafficking, in my experience, is one of the most exhausting fields to work in because it has become so politicized, which directly counters effective solutions. There are a lot of MAGA voters who are deeply upset because they truly believed they were saving women and children from trafficking by electing this administration. Whether Epstein’s clients are or are not ever brought to justice, we can all work to prevent human trafficking. It's just not nearly as glamorous as the binder-waving MAGA influencers want it to be.
If you want to prevent human trafficking, start by supporting local efforts to ensure that everyone in your community has access to safe housing, medical care, and food. Traffickers prey on people’s basic needs, like needing to eat. If you want to prevent human trafficking, make sure you’re advocating for the best policies for teenagers, especially teens who might be runaways or are exiting the Foster Care system. If you want to prevent human trafficking, you need to constantly vote for policies that uplift the most vulnerable people in our society because they are targets for traffickers. Yes, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds could be kidnapped, just like in the movie Taken.
However, I’ve found that this crop of anti-trafficking influencers would rather consider cinematic and far-fetched possibilities over everyday situations that actual anti-trafficking experts discuss. If you want to support politicians who are genuinely trying to stop human trafficking, you’re looking for politicians who advocate for the poor and protect women and children. Politicians who want to prevent trafficking aren’t voting against SNAP and healthcare because they know that poverty and desperation are like homing beacons for criminal enterprises.
Thank you for listening to The Friday Brief. We are now on daily, so make sure you and your friends don’t miss an episode! Check out thefridaybrief.com, and follow The Friday Brief on Instagram and TikTok. Until next time, I’m Phoenix Ricks signing off from Washington, DC. Let’s work together for a world of good.
.png)
